Innholdsfortegnelse for August 12, 2022 i Newsweek International

2007 A conservative think tank paid scientists $10,000 to write pieces undermining climate change research, exemplifying a larger trend: “Since the late 1980s, this well-coordinated, well-funded campaign by contrarian scientists, free-market think tanks and industry has created a paralyzing fog of doubt around climate change,” Newsweek wrote. While views on global warming remain ideologically divided, recently the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication showed 72 percent of U.S. citizens believe the climate is changing. In July, the U.K. reported record high temperatures. 1978 “During a lot of those years, I wondered if anybody out there was listening. But now, the word seems to have gotten around about me,” Nelson told Newsweek after the success of his album Shotgun Willie. Today, at age 89, Nelson continues to tour across the U.S.…

“We need to contribute to the development of autonomous vehicles that people judge to be safer than human-driven vehicles.”Naoto Komatsu, President, Komatsu Kaihatsu Co., Ltd. Founded over 50 years ago, Komatsu Kaihatsu has expanded its business from factory construction, building maintenance, dispatch of factory workers, logistics and packing materials, to automotive parts design and development, maintaining its stance that quality is king when it comes to satisfying customer needs and building trust with them. “We manufacture and sell high-quality logistics packaging materials that are optimal for the transportation of automotive parts and industrial machinery, and we would like to collaborate with local overseas companies,” says Naoto Komatsu, President of Komatsu Kaihatsu. Although the domestic business in Japan is the bedrock of the current model, an eye is kept on opportunities…

“Our wear-resistant tools and carbide materials are custom-made and depend on the needs and demands of our customers.”Katsu Yamamoto, President & CEO, MMC RYOTEC Corporation While Japan’s aging population and declining birth rate present challenges for certain companies, for others they provide a rare opportunity to focus on the global market. And with 28% of the country’s population already over 65, passing down knowledge to the next generation is becoming more crucial with each passing year. Increasingly intrinsic to its global brand, Japanese monozukuri is a point of difference that sets its businesses apart from competitors in China and Taiwan, where economies of scale hold sway over craftsmanship. For new MMC RYOTEC Corporation president Katsu Yamamoto, craftsmanship represents the “value-added factor”. But it is only one aspect of the company’s…

Whilst approximately 70% of Maruyama’s sales come from the agricultural machinery it manufactures for the domestic and global markets, the company also specializes in pump technology, with an estimated 80% of commercial car wash facilities in the U.S. alone using its patented water-saving pump equipment. “Maruyama is contributing to society by providing products that are trusted, using our state-of-the-art pump and other technologies that help people use precious water resources more effectively,” says Takaharu Uchiyama, President of Maruyama. The company’s main pillars are food, water and the environment, and its latest novel invention – ultrafine bubble technology – provides solutions for all these segments. “In pursuit of our vision, we used our pump technology in collaboration with another Japanese company to develop this ultrafine bubble technology,” says Mr. Uchiyama. “We…

CultureHIGH, LOW + EVERYTHING IN BETWEENMOVIES IT HAS BEEN A BIG YEAR FOR SQUID GAME STAR Lee Jung-jae. He’s won Screen Actors Guild and Critics Choice awards, been nominated for a Golden Globe, an Emmy (Squid Game got 14 Emmy nods) and received a 7-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival in May, for the premiere of Hunt, a spy thriller he both directed and stars in. In one of his first in-depth interviews with a major U.S. publication, Lee spoke to Newsweek from Seoul, where he’s been working on post-production for Hunt, which opens in South Korea August 10 (a U.S. release date is in the works). He reflected on directing his first film, his Hollywood aspirations and the “greater responsibility” he feels since the enormous success of…

“Whilst some customers may not know our company’s name, they still come to us for our unique technologies.”Yasuyuki Takahashi, President & CEO, Takahashi Metal Industries Price competition is getting tougher globally, but Japanese companies continue to have a large share of niche markets thanks to their multi-product, multi-functional production. Takahashi Metal Industries is one of these businesses, and its unique press technology makes it possible to achieve mirror-like surface finishing through the press process without the need for plating. “Conventional screw products only utilize press technology, but our mirror surface processing is a one-stroke process. Takahashi Metal is the only company in the world that has this capability,” explains Yasuyuki Takahashi, President and CEO of Takahashi Metal Industries. “The product’s unique name is Reflector. And whilst some customers may not…

“We’re aiming to expand our hakomono all over the world.”Nobuo Matsuda, President, Hanken Works Ltd. A company that celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2023, Hanken Works manufactures specialized enclosures such as fuel tanks, hydraulic tanks and mufflers for construction, agricultural and industrial machinery. Hanken’s enclosures, referred to in Japanese as hakomono, are crafted with a dedication to monozukuri – the pursuit of perfection at the heart of Japanese manufacturing. For President Nobuo Matsuda, monozukuri comes down to precise role distribution – “this gives us good quality, cost and delivery results” – combined with a culture of close cooperation between divisions. “The excellence of Japanese monozukuri is its focus on collaboration and transparency,” he says. Hanken’s quality commitment is illustrated, for example, by the rigorous testing and welding procedures that guarantee…

“We use our expertise and experience to solve customers’ problems and expand our business domain as a total ‘solution provider’ for industrial transport operations.”Minoru Hamaguchi, President, JRC Co., Ltd. At JRC, we have manufactured conveyor belt components such as rollers, pulleys and stands for over 60 years. Our fully automated roller production line – the only one in Japan – helps us to deliver a consistent supply of top-quality products. Our conveyor parts can be found in thermal power plants, steel mills, mines, cement plants, recycling facilities, sewage treatment plants and other sites that support socially critical infrastructure. They are also widely used in civil engineering projects such as tunneling, reclamation and dam construction. In recent years, we have not only provided products, but have also offered solutions to problems…

A stalwart of the Japanese caster industry with 45 years of experience, YUEI continues to go from strength to strength. The secret, according to company president, Kota Ojima, is simple: “We respond to each and every one of our customers’ requests and have a deep understanding of their needs.” If that approach gives the firm a clear competitive advantage, then Japan’s demographic situation is still creating headaches. Fully automating the manufacturing process is attractive but unrealistic. Instead, YUEI is looking to reduce the number of workers required for individual processes. Mr. Ojima is adamant, however, that releasing engineers is not on the cards. Rather, by increasing production lines, they will become even more indispensable to the firm’s output. “Our strength is that we are able to customize our casters and…

Q _ What are NASCAR’s biggest challenges today? A _ The biggest challenge for any sport or business in today’s world is to be proactive and not reactive; to lead and not follow; and to be willing to change to make things better. I believe NASCAR has always done a great job of adapting to the new while still upholding tradition. Are electric vehicles viable for competitive racing? How can NASCAR become more “green”? Yes. Since the beginning, if two automobiles were ever in the same place, you had the potential for a race. As the automobile market changes, that’s the one thing I don’t see changing—no matter what type of automobile is made—as demonstrated by Formula E. Of course, going “green” is a topic in practically every business on…

Building on its founders’ love of amateur radio, Circuit Design achieved its breakthrough in the late 1980s when the Japanese Ministry of Transportation approved the use of its remote engine starters in cold prefectures such as Hokkaido. At that time, as company president Yukinaga Koike attests, engine starters “accounted for around 80% of the company’s overall turnover.” With the automotive industry in transition, however, the company has shifted its focus to industrial wireless modules, having introduced its wireless systems to the German market in 1992. “The use of Circuit Design’s radio solutions ensures the reliability and success of our customers’ products.”Yukinaga Koike, President, Circuit Design, Inc. Though the industry remains a highly competitive sector in which to operate, Circuit Design has been able to carve its own niche when it…

“We would like to make our clients happy through the good monozukuri culture that we have created.”Yoshitsugu Uchida, President & Representative Director, Uchida Co. Uchida Co. is no longer just a die maker, far from it. Since its establishment in 1964, Uchida has evolved into a group of professional engineers and craftsmen focused on developing high tensile materials that support customers’ production preparations. From the automotive industry to aviation and medicine, strong and lightweight materials are in high demand. “Our main strength is our capacity to create dies that can handle difficult-to-process materials, such as high-tensile steel,” explains company president, Yoshitsugu Uchida. “We have many engineers with specialized know-how to meet the expectations of our customers.” With subsidiary companies in China and Vietnam, and employees from places such as South…

“Scribing is the origin of glass processing.” That is the mantra upon which SHIRAI TECH was founded over half a century ago, says president Hiroshi Shirai, who remains proud of the company’s great responsibility. The company has progressed eagerly in technological innovation. “We have standalone machinery that can scribe glass with irregular shapes. This can be used in the processing of LCD panels for automotive applications. Also, the separation of irregular-shaped glass, which previously had to be done manually by humans, can now be processed in-line via robotics,” Mr. Shirai explains. “We are looking to continue to help our customers properly produce, scribe and grind panels to meet their needs.”Hiroshi Shirai, President, SHIRAI TECH LIMITED “We also have developed a non-flipping scribing system that eliminates the need for inverting the…

“We focus on potential issues and try to solve and mitigate them now.”Yoshinobu Kanaoka, President, Kanaoka Holdings Co., Ltd. Kanaoka is one of the leading flexible packaging manufacturers in Japan. Having built its two state-of-the-art plants this century, the Saitama Plant 3 in 2006 and Kansai Plant in 2011, the company has just opened a new revolutionary facility: the Reiwa Plant. “Reiwa Plant is the world’s first commercial production plant for water-based inkjet printing,” says Yoshinobu Kanaoka, President of Kanaoka Holdings. “The plant will enable us to achieve unparalleled productivity gains through digital and AI technologies and an industry-leading ‘decarbonized society’ solution through water-based inkjet printing.” For Reiwa Plant, the company is focusing on researching and developing more suitable printing methods and materials to help solve social issues such as…

“We will continue to explore each and every possibility needed to respond to ever diversifying tea needs.”Yosuke Kawasaki, President, Kawasaki Kiko Co., Ltd. Since its founding in 1905, Kawasaki Kiko has been one of the Japanese tea industry’s major players. Specializing in the manufacture of unrefined tea processing equipment such as steamers and dryers, it also provides facilities for general tea production, including tea farm management machines. “All of this is part of a continual total effort to provide benefits for our customers through our products,” says Yosuke Kawasaki, president of Kawasaki Kiko. “We will continue to explore each and every possibility needed to respond to ever diversifying tea needs, providing equipment that enables people around the world to produce tea they can drink with a feeling of safety and…

SIX DEGREES OF KEVIN BACON JUST GOT EVEN EASIER BECAUSE HE’S GOT two big projects coming out this summer: the third season of Showtime’s City on a Hill (July 31) and the film They/Them (Peacock, August 5). “I feel a very strong need to humanize the character, regardless of what it is that they’re doing.” His character Jackie in City on a Hill is “incredibly corrupt and has a very dark side to him,” which Bacon says he got instantly. “I read it, and I saw him. It all just kind of came to me. It doesn’t always happen that way.” Meanwhile, Bacon’s character in the horror film They/Them is equally dark: the director of a gay conversion therapy camp. He says director/writer John Logan chose the genre “because it…